


Gimme Shelter

by ccherrybomb



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alpha Billy Hargrove, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Billy Hargrove Is Bad at Feelings, Child Neglect, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Omega Steve Harrington, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:49:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21561739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ccherrybomb/pseuds/ccherrybomb
Summary: "The door's overhead bell chimed, alerting Benny of a new customer. But when he looked up he felt the warmth of the day in his chest crack.It was the Harrington's boy -- who couldn't be older than 12 -- struggling as he held the door open with his foot and he peeled off his dripping windbreaker and revealed his bag that was hidden in the zipped up jacket, trying his best to avoid bringing any of the rain inside."orAu where Benny lives and kinda raises Steve and becomes the parent he needs + abo
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Comments: 49
Kudos: 527





	1. Chapter 1

Benny's known Richard Harrington and Maria Gamino, who are now together as the Harrington's, since his high school days. He and everyone else with a working brain had known that the two were a perfect match -- that they fit together like two bland, popular, peas in a pod.

Even before their senior year, Benny knew that the two would do something with business. The two of them and their families, which mainly consisted of alphas and betas, were working people, business people -- something about the way they held themselves said that they didn't belong in the school, or even the town. That they were meant for something  _ 'greater'. _

So, 6 years after their class graduated, when it's revealed through town talk that Richard and Maria had a child, Benny was a bit surprised to say the least.

Two, upper class, business-running alphas with a squirmy, doe eyed and pink cheeked brunette baby boy who greeted the world with a loud cry and tiny hands curled into fists to let everyone know that he's there.

-

As time passes , Benny, strangely enough, doesn't see much of the elder Harringtons around town. However, he sees their boy, Steven, while driving home after finishing his shifts -- the drive passing by the local elementary school -- sitting on a bench with his legs swinging back and forth, fidgeting with his backpack straps as the other children excitedly ran into the arms of their parents.

Not even a couple months after he sees the boy sitting there for the first time,  _ waiting _ , a lady who is neither the boy's mother  _ or  _ father, starts waiting for him at the school's entrance, giving him the same warm smile other kid's parents give, before walking him back to the car, hand in hand.

Benny tried to not think anything of it.

Then passed one, two, three, four and then five years. Benny stopped seeing who he learned a while back was Steven's  _ nanny _ , and would drive by the now 12 year old pup, seeing as he headed out of the building and toward the direction of his house all by himself, fists clutching at his bag's straps like they're what kept him grounded in that moment. 

Something about how Benny never saw the Harrington's greet their pup at school rubbed him the wrong way, however didn't vocalize or act on his nerves because he had seen the boy with a nanny, and assumed she was at the house waiting for Steven to get home from his walk from school. Benny started working from opening to close, so he never got to know for sure if the pup walked home alone everyday or not.

And during his shifts, he'd get a nagging in the back of his mind remembering the lonely brown eyes watching the children and their parents.

Waiting.

-

It was a rainy Tuesday afternoon, the diner a gentle murmur of conversations from those who ran in to avoid the downpour and decided on getting a warm meal to pass the time. These days were Benny's favorite -- listening to the rain beating down, the smell of rain mixing with the warm, fresh meals being made as he flits around the kitchen making the plates and have them be served out.

The door's overhead bell chimed, alerting Benny of a new customer. But when he looked up he felt the warmth of the day in his chest crack.

It was the Harrington's boy -- who couldn't be older than 12 -- struggling as he held the door open with his foot and he peeled off his dripping windbreaker and revealed his bag that was hidden in the zipped up jacket, trying his best to avoid bringing any of the rain inside.

Benny quickly moved to pour a warm cup of cocoa and snagged a clean rag from a countertop, and headed to the window booth where the pup plopped onto. 

The boy looked up the moment he heard Benny's footsteps and a sheepish expression took over his face, "M' sorry, sir." He said with a quiet voice, almost  _ too _ quiet for Benny to hear.

"Why's that, boy?" Benny asked as he set the mug down in front of the pup who looked up at him and then back down at the mug, almost as if he wasn't sure if he were allowed to touch it.

Steven nervously swung his feet that hung in the air from not being able to reach the floor, and kept his eyes locked onto the warm mug, rubbing his small hands together to warm them up.

"For dragging the rain water inside," He confessed, and then quickly added in a small  _ 'sir' _ .

Benny looked toward the entrance, only seeing small, harmless droplets of rain that dripped from the pup, and then back down at the said pup who looked so clouded with guilt that Benny honestly just wanted to hug the poor thing. But he safely settled on a gentle ruffle of the boy's damp hair and sat down on the empty booth seat in front of him, extending his hand, and with a warm smile he says "The names Benny Hammond, kid."

The pup blinks rapidly at the hand in front of himself, and then brings his own up to ever so gently shake the one that easily dwarfs his. "Steven," The pup says with a bit of a scrunch to his nose. "But I like Steve better. Sounds less… like an old man." 

Benny lets a huff of a laugh slip out at that, and gives a gentle squeeze to the small and cold hand in his before letting it go and nudging the mug toward the boy. 

"Drink this up, the weather must've gotten down to your bones, kid." Benny jerked his head toward the window, which displayed the afternoon downpour. 

Steve's face brightened at the approval of the drink being for him, and happily took the mug with both hands -- his body relaxing at the warmth of it. He said a shy  _ 'thanks' _ before taking a sip, and a smile played at his mouth with his childish joy. However just as he was bringing the mug back up for a second drink, the pup's eyebrows rose as he quickly but carefully set the mug down, reached for his bag and dug through it, mumbling as he tried to find whatever it was that he was searching for.

After a few huffs from Steve and a few more seconds of him digging around his bag, he pulled out a baby blue wallet, and opened it up, then stopped and looked up at the man sitting in front of him,"How much is the cocoa?" he asked with a slight tilt of his head.

Benny held back a fond smile at the boy's kindness, stood up from the bench, and ruffled the pup's hair once more. "It's on the house, kid." 

At that, Steve turned his whole body to face Benny, craning his neck to look up at him, eyes wide, "But--"

Benny then cut him off with an 'ah', and held out the rag which Steve took with a slight furrow of his brows. "Free for your first visit, boy." Benny took a step backwards and gestured to the rag, "and the rag to help you dry off a bit more." And with that, turned around and headed back toward the kitchen, until the boy called out to him.

"Yeah?" Benny looked over his shoulder and at the pup who looked so small.

Steve wrung his wrist and pursed his lips before speaking up with his cheeks flushed in embarrassment, "Is… is it okay if I stay a bit to do some of my school work…?" 

That made Benny go quiet for a second, something in his chest softening in that moment, "Sure, kid. You can stay as long as you need." 

The boy's shoulders lowered from his ears and he seemed to breathe easier at the permission. Steve nodded, scooting further into the booth seat as he placed his backpack onto the empty area of the table.

"Thanks, Benny." 

Benny looked at the kid, his hair damp, pinkened tips of his nose and fingers as he took the mug for another drink. The older man, smiled softly as he breathed out, "Anytime, kid." and walked back into the kitchen and began to prepare a warm plate of food.

Another item on the house.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "From the moment Steve woke up, he felt like something was wrong. However, he's had off-days before, so he shrugged it off and carried on as usual,assuming it was just his nerves of still being a freshman, and pulled himself out of bed ignoring the nagging feeling in the back of his head.
> 
> Throughout the time he was getting himself ready for school, fixing up his grown out hair, putting on his clothes and shoes, to making himself something quick to eat as a sad excuse for breakfast, he felt deep under his skin that something was… different."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all of the comments on the first chapter were very encouraging and really made me feel very proud of what I put up!<3 It was relieving to see people enjoyed my first harringrove fic and to see you wanting more! so i hope this chapter is enough to ease some want for more!! 
> 
> (also a side note, omegas first year of heats are non-sexual, and focus mkre on the shift of their bodies adjusting to a few changes with their status! And this chapter was inspired by Red Red Red - Tom Rosenthal)
> 
> please enjoy!

Ever since the memorable rainy day encounter with Steve, he and Benny settled into a routine together.

After school, Steve would come to the diner to work on his homework and eat some food during breaks that Benny insisted the pup takes between worksheets. And sometimes, when Benny sees Steve's eyebrows draw together as he struggles with a problem or with a word in his readings, Benny will head over to the booth and help him with his problem -- earning him a bright smile from the pup, which he returned by ruffling his hair.

Some days Steve wouldn't come in, and those scattered days were when his parents would return to check up on Steve and the house, and then go back to business as usual.

The day after they'd leave were the hardest days to make the pup smile.

And this ' _routine_ ' continued for one, two, three years, as Benny saw the kid through middle school and then high school at 15, a nerve wracked pup with a lot of doubts on how it could go. However, Benny wasn't surprised to find out from Steve himself that he made friends (the Tommy and Carol kids were a given, as they've been friends since their early elementary school days, and given how often Steve would bring their names into conversations, and sometimes even bring them to the diner). But when Steve strode into the diner with an air of joy around himself, Benny couldn't help but listen to every word the pup told him. Listening to how his classes went and how his history teacher ' _looked like...ancient_ ' in Steve's words, but turned out to be as sweet as pie, and then how some kid went to two of the wrong classes in a row.

With all the joy surrounding Steve, Benny kept his slowly growing worries to himself.

With aging into high school came the closer day of when one presents. After a sort of parental relationship toward the pup sprouted during the last three and a half years, and although not being the kid's actual parent, Benny had been dreading the day Steve would present. Because no matter what his status would turn out to be, the way the pup would be treated could change drastically, depending on the person.

In Benny's experience, when he presented as an alpha, some people grew wary of him and what an alpha's 'unattended nature' could do, and he had to earn some people's trust back -- despite not having ever done anything to hurt them. And he had seen how behavior toward those who presented as omegas had changed -- how for bigoted people with old aged beliefs felt that they we're nothing but stay-at-home bodies.

Steve had never talked about secondary status' or anything along those lines, and Benny didn't want the boy to have any blurred opinions from negative things he could hear in public. He knew he wasn't Steve's parent, but he knew he was damn near the closest thing to one that the kid has right now, so he'll try his hardest to make sure his mindset for whatever is to come isn't blackened by someone else’s blinded views.

  
  


-

-

  
  


From the moment Steve woke up, he felt like something was wrong. However, he's had off-days before, so he shrugged it off and carried on as usual, assuming it was just his nerves of still being a freshman, and pulled himself out of bed ignoring the nagging feeling in the back of his head.

Throughout the time he was getting himself ready for school, fixing up his grown out hair, putting on his clothes and shoes, to making himself something quick to eat as a sad excuse for breakfast, he felt deep under his skin that something was… _different_.

He didn't have much time to dwell on it as a car horn from outside rang through the air, making Steve jump. He quickly shook himself back and grabbed his bag, heading out the door and toward the car out on the driveway.

Tommy smirked as he reached over from the passenger side to honk again, making Steve really jump, earning a smack to his hand from his mom who greeted Steve with a gentle 'Good morning, hun'. Steve slid into the backseat next to Carol, and buckled up just before reaching over and slapping the side of Tommy's head, making the freckled boy yell as the car pulled out of the driveway and toward the school.

"That's for honking." Steve huffed, " _Twice_."

Tommy turned in his seat to face Steve and Carol, and rolled his eyes, "That's for taking so long to get ready. You take longer than Carol!"

"Well sorry, not everyone can look as good as me,” Steve turned to give Carol a look as if saying ' _can you believe this guy?_ '.

The three stared at one another in silence for a moment, before bursting into laughter, and carried on with mindless chatter for the rest of the ride. As they pulled up and into the parking lot, Carol impatiently patted Steve's back as he scooted out of the car, earning a push to his ass from her foot as he tells her to quit. They all say a quick farewell to Tommy's mom and a thanks for the ride, and then shut the doors and walk down the parking lot toward the building.

As they're walking, Steve and Tommy are whining about their biology assignment, when Carol looks up at Steve, her eyebrows drawing up before she discreetly sniffs at him and then pulls back, even more confused.

The two boys look over at her and stop walking.

"What's wrong?" Tommy asks.

Carol is quiet for a moment before she moves closer to Steve, her head tilting. "Doesn't Steve smell weird?" she blurts out, making the doe eyed boy's face explode in a bright red blush.

"What the _hell_ , Carol?" Steve steps back, embarrassed, and hugs himself, which makes Carol realize what she said as she takes a step closer to the boy -- her face apologetic.

"Not bad, Stevie!" She winces as she recalls how her approach sounded. "It's just...you smell off, hun."

Tommy finally speaks up after watching the embarrassing conversation unfold, and stands next to Carol, looking at their still flushed friend. "...She’s right. Now that I think about it, when you got in the car your scent was a bit...different?"

Steve looked at the two like they were crazy. "I smell the same as any other day." After a moment of silence, Steve spoke up, but more timid. "... _right_?"

His friends both shared a worried look before giving him comforting smiles as they approached him -- Carol with her hand holding his right, and Tommy on his left side with his arm draped over his shoulder as he reassures him by saying "I'm sure it's nothin', Stevie. Maybe you're just getting sick?" and shrugged.

Biting his lip, Steve nods, and returns their smiles with a small one of his own. Carol tugs the two boys toward the school entrance as the tension has since died down, and keeps her hold on Steve's hand inside. She looks up at him and nudges him with her shoulder. "The weather has been getting a bit colder recently, so I'm sure it's nothin but your body getting ready for the horrible winter."

Humming, Steve accepts that possibility to push down his paranoia, and Carol adds on, 

“Plus, if you start feelin' a bit worse, I'm sure Benny wouldn't mind picking ya up early. He's a softie on you; one sick day would be nothing to him."

" _Actually_ ," Tommy butts in, “A sick day for Benny would be a huge worry-wart fest over Steve!" he states loudly, spreading his arm out to put an emphasis on the adult alpha's overprotective behavior.

That pulls a snort out of Steve and a loud ' _Yes!_ ' from Carol as the two begin making harmless fun of how much of a mother hen Benny can be over Steve at times.

As they head to class, the worrying off feeling still nags under Steve's skin, but he ignores it for now, and adds to the conversation.

"One time, when I got a fever, Benny…-"

-

As the day continued **,** Steve felt worse and worse, and his body felt heavy with exhaustion. During second period, he felt a bit warm under his skin and some people started to give him worried looks. Then by his third period, his eyelids felt heavy and knew he looked a bit flushed now as a few people were doing double takes and turned to whisper amongst friends.

Once the third hour bell rang, dismissing them for lunch, relief flooded through Steve as he shoved all his papers and his pencil in his bag and stormed out of the classroom to go rest at the table in the cafeteria where he sat at with Carol and Tommy.

He carelessly tossed his bag at their table and went to go buy lunch, hoping that maybe if he eats something that the unease making him tremble a bit will settle. He must've really looked bad, as the kind lunch lady who always wore dark red lipstick told him she hopes he feels better, and gave him some extra food on his tray as she sent him off with a smile. The walk back to the table felt like he was dragging his feet, and sitting back down felt like a relief at the fact that he didn't have to hold his body up anymore, and put his head down to rest against the cool surface. It only took about a minute but Carol and Tommy came to sit down with their lunches, faces immediately casted over with worry.

"Stevie," Carol crooned, bringing her hand over to brush against his forehead. "Why don't we go to the nurse and call Benny…?" She bit her lip looking across the table at Tommy.

Steve huffed and hugged his backpack against his chest, "It's probably just a small fever. He's gonna worry over nothin'." That made Tommy get a bit frustrated at his friend downplaying his obvious discomfort, and he leaned forward to say something until three upperclassmen stood behind Steve, making him and Carol look over at the group.

Carol's gaze hardened at the unwanted presence, her arm now draped over Steve's back and said "Yes?" in a bored tone.

The leader junior, who they all knew from elementary school as a hard ass, Devin, and his friends all had a dirty smile on as their mugs as the leader leaned a bit closer to Steve, and brought a heavy hand to pat at his hunched back with more force than necessary. Tommy's jaw hardened at the contact and Carol naturally pulled the ill boy closer, making Devin let out a huff of a laugh.

"This little omega is in a bit of trouble," he spat with a light, yet sharp tone.

Tommy looked down at Steve, then up at Devin, with his fists clenched under the table "What do you mean, 'omega'?”

"God!" Devin exclaimed loudly, making some nearby groups turn around. "An Omega. Yanno? Heats? Little house wives?" His smile turned sharp as he leaned closer to Steve. "Good for nothin' but sex--" 

He was cut off by Carol's fist slamming against the table top, making Steve whine in pain.

"Your _point_?" She hissed as her hand rubbed up and down his spine apologetically.

"My **_point_** , little lady," Devin said condescendingly, "Is that your pretty friend here is in heat." As neither Tommy nor Carol responded, he added on. "He's an omega."

Now, this had gotten people's attention, some of the cafeteria going nearly silent.

And just before either of Steve's friends could respond, the said boy mumbled out "m'not."

"Oh?" Devin lit up. "It speaks!"

Steve's jaw clicked at that and he sat up, turning to face the upperclassman. "What the _fuck_ is your deal, you muscle brained oaf? We're just trying to eat some _fucking_ food. and go home."

That got surrounding tables snickering, including the bullies friends, which made Devin's teasing manner immediately go cold.

Devin grabbed the juice from one of his friend's trays and held it up high, then turned it over above Steve's head, making him freeze as the drink dripped from his hair down his face. The room went quiet as the junior then crushed the carton, and let it fall to the ground with a dull clatter.

"Clean that up, _omega_."

Steve stared down in shock, watching the droplets of juice fall from his hair onto his lap. He could hear Carol trying to calm down Tommy, and he could feel her hand on his bicep to try and get his attention.

_ 'Let it go. Just let it go _ ' he repeated to himself.

_ Let it go _ .

_ Let it-- _

But then just as Devin and his friends were walking away as if that were the end of the conversation, Steve heard him laugh out, "Maybe the new omega will come crawling to us n' let us have a piece--"

**Red.**

Steve felt his breath quickening, and everything sounded like he was underwater. His heartbeat right in his ears, making his head throb even worse.

**Red.**

Steve's hands clutched his tray till his knuckles turned white, and he stood up so quick that Carol had to quickly move back from being shoved. He could hear her and Tommy scramble to stand up as they called his name while he stomped away from them and toward Devin.

**Red.**

His jaw clenched to tight he could hear his teeth grinding together as he raised the tray up, making all the food fall to the ground, and used all the force in his body to let it slam against the side of Devin's disgusting face.

**_Red._ **

  
  
  


-

  
  
  


Steve sat in the tacky and uncomfortable chair in the principal's office with his hair and face now sticky with slightly dried up juice, waiting for Benny to arrive -- sporting a bloody nose, a bruise on his jaw, and a cut on his lip.

The room was quiet as he sat there alone, but he could hear the principal outside of the office talking to someone in a hushed yet distraught manner. Steve wasn't exactly sure how much longer he had waited until the principal walked back into the room, this time with a disheveled and worried looking Benny. And that's what had Steve feeling guilty.

He was positive Benny was working -- wearing a big coat over the laid back clothes he wears at the diner. And he was sure Benny nearly had a heart attack getting a call from the school about not only Steve getting into a fight, but presenting at school -- as an omega to top it all off.

The two adults sat down in their respective chairs, Steve's head hung in guilt as he could hear Benny's labored breathing. There was a moment of silence before the principal spoke up.

"So, as you know, Steven,"

" _Steve_." He corrects.

A throat is cleared. Steve shuts his mouth.

" _Steve_ , has gotten into a very aggressive altercation with another student on campus."

Benny lets out a troubled sigh as he hears the situation for a second time, "And the reason?" he asks.

The principal smiles a bit tired, and looks over at the boy, "That's what I was hoping he could explain."

The two adults look at Steve, who is looking down at his lap, and silence is flooding the room again before Steve spoke, less confident this time as he looked the principal in the eyes. 

"Devin said that _people like me_ are good for nothing but sex."

He felt Benny beside him tense.

And as Steve continued, he felt himself getting angrier by the second. "He poured his  _ fucking _ drink on me, told me to clean it up, and then said--"

Steve takes a few deep breaths through his nose, nostrils flaring, "He said that I'd come… crawling back to him and his friends so they can get a piece. Then I hit him."

The principal seemed visibly upset, uncomfortable even, as he shifted in his seat and flattened his palms on his desk top.

Steve blinked away the furious tears that unknowingly built up in his eyes as he hissed, "Is that good enough?"

  
  


-

  
  


They settled on a punishment on Steve's part with a two day suspension, and expulsion for Devin.

  
  


-

  
  


The car ride from the school, to Steve's house was quiet.

Tense.

Steve still had his bag hugged against his chest as he kept his gaze outside the window, watching the trees quickly pass by.

"I'm not going to apologize…" Steve admits in a mutter, glaring out the window.

With his gaze locked outside, Steve doesn't see the small smile that pulls at the corners of Benny's lips as he gently shakes his head and says,

"Good. I don't expect you to."

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter, comments and kudos are very much appreciated <3
> 
> Updates may not be very quick, as I'm going to be starting my last semester of my senior year, and am going to be a nervous wreck with the idea of graduating in about five months qwq... But ill try my best to get updates out when I can!
> 
> Come yell @ me on Tumblr: estupidaval


End file.
